Page 21 of The Wrong Reciprocation

"I want you," he declared making her pussy contract as if it was answering that it wanted him too.

She shook her head and dropped her eyes to his chest. "Why are you making this so difficult?"

"Because I want you too much to care about the other stuff."

"That other stuff is our family."

His lip curled. "The only family I have here is back in that hot tub with your friend."

Her eyes widened at the vitriol in his voice. "If they aren't your family then why did you come on this trip with them?"

"I came because I knew you would be here."

His confession slammed into her and her heart squeezed with both joy and sorrow. Life was so cruel.

"Arturo—"

She started to say something, anything to discourage him and maybe he knew that because he cut her off by sealing his mouth over hers. She allowed him to swallow her protest as she wrapped her arms around his neck and moaned into his mouth. Both of his hands dropped to her ass and he massaged her cheeks before lifting Twyla up and pulling her thighs to his waist. The moment his fingers slipped beneath the wet Lycra that covered her pussy her eyes flew open.

What the hell was she doing?

She yanked her arms from around his neck and pushed at his chest.

"Stop, Arturo. Stop."

He snatched his hand back from her core that was wet for reasons that had nothing to do with the hot tub and set her on her feet. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out as they stared at each other in silence that was peppered with their heavy breaths. Before he could say anything, Twyla snatched her towel up from where it had fell by their feet and quickly ducked out of the alcove, reaching her initial destination a few seconds later and closing the door behind her.

She showered and climbed into bed, falling asleep quickly with Arturo on her mind.

9

EASY MODE

At breakfast the next morning, Twyla felt like Arturo was avoiding her. He was conveniently on the opposite side of the room at all times, even as she made her rounds hugging all of her aunts and uncles before

When she stepped inside the game room, she found the large room empty save for her aunt Mable who sat at the bar on the right side of the room, and Mable's son Nelson who stood behind the bar with a cocktail shaker in his hand. They were laughing and didn't seem to be moving any time soon and while the scene looked inviting, Twyla paused in the doorway to think. She'd intended to be alone with her thoughts and didn't want to bring anyone else down with her shitty mood. It was why she'd insisted that Vanessa stay on the lake with the others when she'd tried to follow her inside. Although, with the way Nessa had taken a liking to Rafael, it hadn't taken much convincing to get her to remain in his vicinity.

"You stand there too much longer you gon' sprout roots."

A smile spread across her lips at her Aunt Mable's quip.

Aunt Mable was the second youngest of the Jacobs clan and—

Oh. That's right.

Twyla blinked a few times to clear away the frown that had begun to form as reality slapped her in the face again. Her aunt Mable wasn't the second youngest because her mother wasn't the youngest.

Arturo was the youngest. Arturo was her late grandfather's sixth and final child. Arturo, who—until three months ago—she hadn't even known was a branch on her beloved family tree.

Twyla sat at the bar, her cheek propped on her fist as she stared out a tumbler of Jameson in front

"Why ya ain't bring a lil friend witcha?"

"I brought Vanessa, Aunt Mable."

"Nah, ya know what I mean. A lil friend you can share the bed with."

Twyla burst into laughter. "I don't have one of them."